Mother of All Evil is a powerful and deeply personal book written by Zohreh Davoudi, the daughter of Dr. Ali Morad Davoudi, who was the secretary of Iran’s first National Security Agency just before the 1979 revolution. Through her eyes, we are given a raw and unfiltered look into the private life of a man who held an important public role—but behind closed doors, was a very different person.
Zohreh grew up in a well-known Baha’i family in Tehran during the time of the Shah. Her father, Ali Morad, was not only a respected Baha’i philosopher but also a man who held immense power. Despite their religious beliefs that promoted peace and equality, Zohreh paints a picture of a home filled with fear, violence, and abuse.
Zohreh’s family background is deeply rooted in Iranian royalty. Her grandmother was a Qajar princess named Belgheys, a descendant of Fath Ali Shah, and her great-grandfather was once the governor of Georgia. This rich heritage, however, did little to protect her from the horrors she experienced as a child.
Zohreh shares painful memories of her father’s brutal punishments—being beaten with a belt at the age of eight, simply for reciting poetry. She also reveals heartbreaking moments of being molested by her uncle Iranfar, another member of the Baha’i community, after being punished by her father. These were not isolated incidents, but repeated traumas that shaped her childhood.
Her mother, much younger than her father when they married, also suffered greatly. Zohreh recalls scenes where her father dragged her mother into the courtyard, humiliated her, and controlled her harshly. He treated his elder daughter, Ladan, just as cruelly—dragging her by her hair and screaming threats for not standing when he entered the room.
The book also explores the hypocrisy Zohreh saw within the Baha’i community. While the faith claimed to support gender equality and had removed traditional dowries (mehriyah), her mother still demanded material gifts from suitors to secure Zohreh’s future, treating marriage more like a business deal than a union based on love.
In a particularly haunting part of the book, Zohreh recounts her pilgrimage to Haifa, where she laughed in the shrine, roamed the streets of Tel Aviv, and called herself names like “the poison of a snake” and “a fatherless whore.” These words reflect her deep emotional wounds and struggle for identity.
The story takes a mysterious and tragic turn when, shortly after the Iranian Revolution, her father disappeared during a morning walk in Queen Farah Park on November 11, 1979. He was never seen again.
Detailed review by Alison Marshall can be read here:
https://alisonelizabethmarshall.com/book-review-mother-of-all-evil-by-zohreh-davoudi/
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